Lay and pilot guide means



(5. w. DUNHAM 2,833,315

LAY AND PILOT GUIDE MEANS May 6, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 31,1954 May 6, 1958 e. w. DUNHAM 2,833,315

LAY AND PILOT GUIDE MEANS Filed Aug. 31, 1954 2 sheets-sheaf: 2

HTTU/P/VE) United States Patent G This invention relates to looms andmore particularly to a lay and means for guiding a pilot or shuttlealong the lay;

Especially in high speed looms it is important that the pilot or otherfilling thread carrying device be guided along a confining channel orraceway which is true, and it is among the objects of the presentinvention to provide a loom structure wherein the raceway for a pilot orother device for carrying a filling thread is reciprocated between aback position and a position below the fell of a woven fabric and inwhich the raceway includes a plurality of plate-like guides havingaligned polygonal notches closed towards the front of the loom and areed opposite the openings of said notches whereby the edges of thenotches and the reed together provide a tunnel-like structure forrestraining a pilot from deviating laterally from its guided path offlight lengthwise of a lay.

Another object is to provide an assemblage of guides, each havingaligned notches for guiding a pilot, mounted in a manner which enablesthe edges of the pilot guiding notches to be qualified in line to a highdegree of accuracy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure whichfacilitates the removal or replacement of any one or another ofindividual plate-like guides without disturbing others.

The individual guides are stamped or otherwise cut from sheet materialwith notches in their back edges for providing a raceway for a pilot andslots in their front edges which are machined to fit and firmly engageupper, lower and back surfaces of a bar which is detachably mountable ona lay. The bar with the guides removably mounted thereon is fastened tothe lay in such a position as to have the openings of the racewaynotches facing a reed or a comb which provides a rear track for thepilot and together with the guides completes a tunnel-like raceway.

The guides are spaced from one another by tubular members whose ends aresquare to the axis of the bar and engage the parallel flat side surfacesof the guides. The slots in the guides are engaged with the bar in tightfitting relationship and the assembly of guides and spacers is squeezedtightly together to provide a rigid structure in the form that it isutilized in the loom. In this condition all of the pilot-guiding edgesof the notches can be from a more detailed description of an embodimentthereof which is intended to serve as an illustration of itsapplication.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a cross-section of a lay as viewed from the right side of aloom;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a plate-like pilot guide;

Fig. 3 is a front edge elevation of the pilot guide;

Fig. 4 is a top view of the lay shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section on line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a cross-section of a lay carrying a comb.

Referring to Fig. 1, the lay 10 is fastened to a pair of swords whichare mounted on a pivot shaft 11. Each sword 12 is actuated from aconnecting rod 13, pivotally connected at its front end to the sword bya pin 14 and pivotally connected at its rear end to a crank 15 on thecrank shaft 16. Power is derived through a gear 17 on the shaft 16. Thebearings for the shafts are carried by the usual side frames, one ofwhich is designated 18 in Fig. 1.

As the lay is reciprocated backwardly and forwardly the warp harnesses19 move upwardly and downwardly in timed relationship to the movement ofthe lay to manipulate the various warps Ztl to open and close the shedsin the usual manner. The travel of the lay is between the position shownin Fig. 1 with the pilot guides 21 below the fell of the cloth and thetemples 22 and the back position shown in broken lines. As the lay movesforwardly a threaded filling thread slips between the guides 21 and thereed 23 and is heat up by the reed.

The upper edge 24 of the reed 23 lies against a rail 25 extendingbetween and bolted to the swords and is held in place by a clamping bar26 which is removably fastened by bolts 27 to the rail 25. The loweredge 28 of the reed rests on several brackets 29 which are mounted onthe lay 10 and held in place by a number of bolts 30 which pass throughthe lay. The brackets are also positioned by the shoulders 31 and setscrews 32. Any suitable fastening means which will facilitate thedismounting of the brackets from the lay may be employed. The bracketsare preferably of the same width as the individual spacers 33 so as toserve as spacers for the several guides 21.

Each bracket has an opening 34 for accommodating a bar 35 on which theguides and spacers are mounted. The cross-section of the bar 35preferably has sides so disposed as to permit the sliding of the guideslaterally onto the bar in one direction and the engagement of the edgesof the notches 36 of the guides. While bars of other shapes may be usedit is preferred to use a rectangular cross-section as this form of barprovides three ex tensive surfaces for engaging the edges 37, 38 and 39of the guides. The bar is securely held in the brackets 29 by the setscrews 40 and 41.

Each guide is formed from a flat plate-like stock of a durable material,such as sheet steel, and from which it can be stamped by a master die.The parallel flat sides are tapered to rounded edges to avoidinterference with the warps. The notches 36 and 42 are positioned anddimensioned, respectively, to engage the bar 35 and to provide guidingedges for a pilot 52. For a pilot, rectangular in cross-section, theupper and lower edges 43 and 44 are parallel and normal to the plane ofthe reed 24 and the intermediate edge 45 is perpendicular to the upperand lower edges. All of the notches are cut to as close the requireddimensions as is possible.

As illustrated, the spacers 33 are tubular members of equal length withends square to their axis so as to assure that the flat andparallel-sided guides will stand erect and parallel to one another.

In assembling, the spacers 33 and the brackets 29 are slipped over thebar 35 and the guides 21 are slipped edgewise onto the bar 35 with theedge of the notches 36 snugly contacting the three surfaces of the bar.The nuts 46 and 47 at the ends of the bar are then tightened againsttheir respective washers 48 which bear upon the assembled string ofspacers andguides and so clamp them together longitudinally of the bar.As this is being done the set screws 41, 41 are gradually tightened. Theslots or notches 42 are then in alignment and, as assembled, the edgesof the notches can be ground or otherwise finished to assure that all ofthe similar edges of the several notches are disposed in a common plane,Since notches are rectangular this can be easily accomplished withprecision,

The bar 35 is then clamped in operative position on the lay by fasteningthe brackets 29 to the lay with the bolts 30. The lower edge 28 of thereed is then pl etl in contact with the back edges of the guides and isfirmly pressed against the guides by a clamping bar 49 and the setscrews 50. Any individual guide can easily bereplaced simply by removingthe clamping bar and reed and by letting up on the tension in the bar35.

In the loom illustrated the pilot is caught and proiccted from a box 51mounted on each end of the lay. The pilot 52 is projected by aspring-actuated plunger 53 upon the release of a sear or trigger 54which is actuated in timed relation to the movement of the lay. Thepilot picks up and carries a filling thread 55 through the tunnel-likeraceway provided by the aligned guides and in part by the front edges ofthe reed, or by a comb if the loom is provided with such a construction.

As a guide at the side of the pilot facing the back of the loom, a comb56, such as illustrated in Fig. 7, may be used. The comb is a flatstraight member having teeth 57 extending from a lower edge 58. Afterthe raceway provided by the guides 21 has been qualified the comb is setin place between the back edges of the guides and a spacing bar 59 whichlies between the comb and the reed 60, and the assembled members aresecured in place by tightening the set screws 61.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applicationswithout departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It istherefore intended and desired that the specific description herein bedeemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall coverall patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to thefollowing claims rather than to the particular showing herein toindicate the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a loom having a reciprocating laybeam, a reed and devices on saidlaybeam for projecting a pilot length r wise of saidlaybeam, thecombination with said laybeam of a tunnel-like raceway formed in part bysaid reed and in part by a plurality of similar plate-like guide membersarranged in spaced relationship in a line parallel to and in front ofsaid reed with each of said guide members disposed at right angles tothe front face of said reed and having a notch therein opening towardsaid reed, all of said notches in said guide members being aligned andthe edges of said notches together with the front face of said reedconstituting pilot-guiding surfaces defining said tunnel-like raceway,said edges of said notches being so disposed as to prevent a pilotprojected through the race,- way from deflecting away from the plane ofthe dents of said reed in any direction laterally to said raceway; meansrigidly maintaining said guide members aligned and in spacedrelationship, said means comprising a bar extending parallel to saidline of guide members and engaging an opening in each of said members,spacing elements mounted on said bar between said guide members, andnuts engaging threaded ends of said bar and pressing said guide membersand said spacing elements together; and means for detachably mountingsaid bar and assembled guide members and spacing elements on saidlaybeam whereby said assembled guide members, spacing elements and baris removable from said laybeam as a unit.

2. A loom lay assembly comprising a laybeam, a reed frame, said reedframe having upper and lower rails connected by dents, a plurality ofbrackets removably mounted on said laybeam and engaging the lower railof said reed frame, a bar extending through openings in said bracketsand having angularly disposed side surfaces contacting correspondingsurfaces on said brackets whereby the position of said bar is located onsaid brackets parallel to said laybeam, a series of individualplate-like members separated from one another and arranged in a line oneafter another along said bar with their back edges proximate the planeof the dents of said reed frame, said members having forwardly openingnotches in their front edges engaging said bar, spacing elementsseparating individual ones of said members, means supported on saidbrackets and acting between said brackets and said lower rail of saidreed to clamp said lower rail against the back edges of said plate-likemembers thereby holding said members in firm engagement with said bar,said back edges of said plate-like members having guide notches openingtowards the dents of said read frame, said guide notches and the dentsof said reed frame together defining a tunnel-like raceway forcontaining the flight of a pilot over the front of said dents.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,726,434 Hahn Aug. 27, 1929 2,020,742 Shimwell Nov. 12, 1935 2,095,576Shimwell Oct. 12, 1937 2,538,630 Rusnov Jan. 16, 1951 2,675,027Wakefield Apr. 13, 1954 2,675,028 Turner Apr. 13, 1954

